There are sacred words so ingrained into world culture that it’s hard to believe they once didn’t exist. No doubt you’ve heard of, read or spoken one of these words without understanding the history that gives these words such deep meaning. For many, sacred words are a way for believers to align themselves more closely with the gods they worship (whether through meditation and prayer or truth, love and reverence). Some of these sacred words changed meaning over time with the progression of modern religion; others have retained their meaning over centuries. Let’s take a look at five of these sacred words and examine their origin and history.

OmOm is a mantra and sacred word of Buddhists, Indians and anyone who’s ever practiced yoga. It’s thought that Om was the first sound that began Creation, the aural representation of Brahman and absolute reality. Om simultaneously represents all four states of Brahman, the Supreme Being: waking (symbolized by A and pronounced like Ah); dream (symbolized by U and pronounced like “would”); and deep sleep (symbolized by M and pronounced like Mmm); and silence, the state of perfect bliss. In mortals, Om sustains life as it runs through breath. By the silence stage at the end of the mantra, the individual meditating is aligned with the Supreme Being.

Even the manner in which Om is written in Sanskrit can be translated into the four states of Brahman. The large lower curve represents the material world; the upper left curve represents the deep sleep state; the dream state is the area that lies between the two curves; the point and semicircle are the silent state of absolute consciousness. The open semicircle is meant to evoke the infinite, reminding the reader that the point’s meaning cannot be understood with finite reason and perspectives.

Om is thought to provide strength and recharge all those who chant it. To properly meditate on om, close your eyes and sit down. Relax every muscle and begin to repeat Om either verbally or mentally, each time associating the word with feelings of freedom, perfection, purity and eternity. Om is the shortest mantra, but the most powerful one; it’s often used at the start and finish of longer mantras to indicate the completeness of the mantra.

AmenThis word is considered one of the most sacred words in Christianity, but it appears first in the Bible under decidedly inauspicious circumstances. In Chapter 5 of Numbers, God is called upon to settle a dispute between a husband who accused his wife of adultery and the wife who vehemently protests her innocence. The wife was taken to a priest, who put her through a ceremony in which she drank water charged with dust from the tabernacle floor. If she were indeed an adulteress, she would be cursed with a disease in which she would slowly waste away; if she were innocent, she would not become sick. As the priest pronounced the curse, God required the wife to say amen twice. Since then, any person who yields to examination by God must say amen in God’s presence. It is also used as the final word of a solemn statement or the first word when it is translated into its close synonym, “verily” or “truly.” This latter translation further cements the meaning of amen in Christianity to evoke affirmative truth, sincerity and solemnity.

Amen isn’t a word solely restricted to Christianity, however. Egyptians worshipped a god called Amen-Ra, and the Amen within his name meant “hidden” and “unseen”. Within this context, both the word and the god Amen were understood to be invisible and inscrutable by mortal eyes, permanent and ever-present throughout time. Perhaps these certainly God-like qualities translated over into Christianity and remained through the word amen.

AllahPolytheistic pagan Arabs worshipped a god they called Allah, a word which was derived from Aramaic. Although today’s Muslims refer to their god with the proper name Allah, religious scholars (such as Arthur Jeffery) insist that Allah isn’t originally a name, but rather a descriptor that translates to “the god.” It is thereby a synonym of the Hebrew “elohim” but not Jehovah. Since Allah and Elohim are two religions’ descriptions of their different ideas of God, they are not specifically tied to one figure the way the name Christ is tied to Jesus Christ. The pagan god Allah was believed to be the creator and the highest god in their polytheistic Arab religion that included hundreds of idols. When Muhammad advocated for Muslims to acknowledge Allah as their one true god, he merely implores Muslims to cease worshipping the other gods. Today, Allah represents the omniscient, omnipotent god that governs all Muslims.

ShalomThis Hebrew word is used principally to mean ‘peace’ and is used in all parts of speech. In Israel, however, Shalom has a much broader meaning.

Israelis bid hello and goodbye to others by saying Shalom; this greeting is only the beginning. The verb Shalom means the act of completeness, perfection and fullness. This is often extended into prosperity in the non-financial sense, tranquility, health, and harmony. By pronouncing the word Shalom to others as a greeting and farewell to others, these sentiments are also passed along. The word shalom can also serve as a given name to businesses and organizations as well as to both men and women.

YahwehThis sacred word appears in the Old Testament well over six thousand times, making it the most commonly used form of God’s name. It is so revered by Jews, however, that it is too holy for them to speak aloud. The true spelling of the word, YHWH, is intentionally devoid of vowels so as to be unpronounceable. Indeed, it’s nearly impossible to state with certainty exactly how YHWH should be pronounced out loud, which is precisely Judaism’s intent: Jews should not ever need to know how to pronounce YHWH. Yahweh is the word from which Jehovah, another of God’s names, is derived. To avoid blaspheming by saying Yahweh aloud, in prayer Jews substitute the word Adonai for Yahweh. In everyday speech, the phrases “The Name” and “The Ineffable Name” are frequently substituted for YHWH. Many Jews even write God as G-d to completely avoid any risk of blasphemy. Some Christians have followed suit, although this is not expressly required in Christianity.

There are dozens of sacred words that have been spoken throughout history to invoke particular protection from a revered god. Some words, like Yahweh and Allah, are intended to address or describe a specific god. Other words, like Shalom and Om, were intended to align an individual more closely with God by stripping away negative feelings and imperfections. The word amen encompasses both of these ideals: originally amen described the hidden nature of the powerful Amen-Ra, and Christianity altered the term to render a sense of truth and solemnity to spoken or written statements. Some sacred words translated into different faiths, as amen crossed over from Egyptian polytheistic worship into Christianity and YHWH became Jehovah. Others, like Om and Shalom, have remained unchanged through centuries. Despite the dozens of different religions practiced throughout the world, the presence of so many different sacred words unifies all believers in their quest to reject the distractions of daily life and achieve true, reverent peace.

How Well Do You Know Your Bible Trivia?The Bible is a book that has been banned, challenged, probed, and praised as the greatest book ever written. From Adam and Eve to the Book of Revelation you have read the Bible, pondered its words, and maybe even played some Bible games. But how much do you really know when it comes to Bible trivia? Take this quiz and find out!